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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29530215">the most important meals are shared with you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/budd/pseuds/budd'>budd</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Schitt's Creek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>4 Things, Developing Friendships, Gen, Holding Hands, Minor Original Character(s), POV Alternating, Post-Canon, Rare Pairings, mention of parental death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:00:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,265</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29530215</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/budd/pseuds/budd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An exploration of Alexis and Ruth's friendship through four meals they share together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ruth Clancy &amp; Alexis Rose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the most important meals are shared with you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29529498">Downtime</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/another_Hero/pseuds/another_Hero">another_Hero</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>when i read another_Hero's platonic slumber party of these two, i was immediately inspired to write my own take on their friendship and this is what happened at 1 in the morning hours before i had to get up for school</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>i</strong>.</p><p>Alexis's desire to be friends with Ruth has been present since the moment they first met at Rosebud Motel Group's launch party in late September. She instantly knew she is a girl boss at the way she was able to easily converse with everyone there; Alexis admires fellow women who are hardworking in their field and don't take shit from anyone. That's exactly who Ruth Clancy is, a strong woman who stands her own ground. So, when she sends Alexis a text asking if they'd like to grab lunch, she doesn't hesitate in saying <em>yes</em>.</p><p><strong>Meet me at the Gregory's on E. 42nd ☕️😘 </strong>is her response.</p>
<hr/><p>Even though she was the one asked out, Alexis is the first to arrive at the cafe. She takes a seat at the bar towards the front of the establishment and sets her bag down on the stool next to her to inform the other patrons that the seat is indeed occupied. </p><p>"Hey, girl!" Alexis shouts when she sees Ruth walk through the front door, eyes aimlessly wandering around as she's never visited this particular coffee shop before; Alexis has a hard time believing she's never come here until now as it's been ingrained into her daily routine since moving to New York City, the place Ruth has lived for virtually her entire life, but she brushes the thought off as quickly as it occurs.</p><p>Ruth raises her eyebrows at Alexis's call and strides over to her. "I didn't expect you to be here before me."</p><p>"I overestimated how much time I needed to get ready which is a first, but, like, how are you?!" Alexis sits down as they start talking, Ruth following suit. She crosses one leg over the other and sets her head in her hand with her elbow resting atop the wooden countertop, looking intently into her eyes to show interest in whatever she is about to say.</p><p>"Pretty good, actually, I've been wanting to get to know you better for a few weeks now," Ruth confesses, looking over the menu placed on the table in front of her.</p><p>"Aww, that's so sweet," Alexis coos, booping Ruth's nose. "I've been wanting to get to know you better, too, so I'm glad we're <em>finally</em> doing this." Ruth beams at Alexis's contagious energy. </p><p>"What do you recommend?" She asks, redirecting her gaze to the eyes of the woman sitting next to her.</p><p>Alexis claps her hands in excitement as if she's been waiting for the question, which she has. "I <em>love</em> the Lean Green Protein smoothie with their vegan bar." </p><p>Smiling, Ruth snaps her menu shut. "Perfect, I'll have that." </p><p>"We can twin!" Alexis practically leaps out of her seat to order, dragging Ruth behind her. "We'll have two Lean Green Protein smoothies and two vegan bars." She says to the man behind the register. </p><p>"That'll be $11.57." </p><p>Alexis pulls out her card to order but is immediately halted by Ruth sliding a ten-dollar bill and two ones to the cashier. "Keep the change." She says nonchalantly, Alexis's jaw hung agape at the gesture. </p><p>"You didn't have to do that. I'm in a stable financial state now, you know."</p><p>Ruth chuckles. "Of course I know; however, I invited <em>you</em>, therefore it's only fair that I pay." </p><p>The cashier, Ryan is the name scrawled on his tag, taps twice on the counter to get their attention. "Can I get your names?"</p><p>"Alexis and Ruth," Alexis responds almost immediately refuting Ruth the chance to even open her mouth. </p><p>Ryan nods his head, typing their names into the system. "Great, it'll be out shortly." He flashes them a quick smile before the next customer steps towards them to place their own order.</p>
<hr/><p>As told, their drinks arrive five minutes later along with their vegan bars. "You first," Alexis says after they clink their glasses together. "Drink up!" She exclaims.</p><p>Without hesitation, Ruth takes a long sip. She swallows hard and smacks her lips a few times to devour the aftertaste. "I have to say, that might be the best smoothie I've ever had." She figured she'd enjoy the drink, but she didn't think she'd like it <em>this </em>much. Turns out Alexis has wonderful taste when it comes to smoothies, not that Ruth is stunned, however. </p><p>"Now the bar," Alexis unwraps one of the grainy treats and sets it in Ruth's hand. She's a bit more hesitant about this one and Alexis can tell. "Take a bite, I promise it won't hurt you. I've been eating these for months and I'm still alive." Ruth can't suppress her laugh and Alexis joins her in a now shared fit of giggles.</p><p>She finally chomps down in lieu of Alexis's encouragement after their laughter has halted. As much as she thought she'd dislike it, she can't help taking another bite.</p><p>And another.</p><p>And one more for good measure.</p><p><strong>ii</strong>.</p><p>This time, Alexis is the one who takes Ruth out on a platonic dinner date. They visit Lombardi's per Ruth's request. Since Alexis chose last time, it was only fair to give her the reigns. She may not be the <em>biggest </em>pizza fan, but maybe she'll be as shocked as Ruth was after their Gregory's endeavor. </p>
<hr/><p>"Why, hello, madam," Ruth teases Alexis. "It's nice to see you. Take a look at the menu and see what sparks your tastebuds, why don't you?" </p><p>Alexis is the one laughing at Ruth this time. Her faux Italian server accent is too much to handle and she <em>still </em>hasn't fully recovered by the time their actual server arrives. </p><p>"Hello, my name is Ashley and I'll be helping you out tonight. Can I get you started with any appetizers?" She takes a pen out of her apron, preparing her left hand to write.</p><p>"I think we'll just order our entrees if that's alright." Ashley turns to Alexis for confirmation. She nods, Ruth continuing. "I'll have the Tagliatelle and Basil pesto." </p><p>"You aren't going to get pizza?" Alexis asks, looking at her away from her phone.<em> When did she pull that out?</em> Ruth thinks. </p><p>"No," Ruth shakes her head. "I'm not a fan." </p><p>Alexis tucks a grin into the corner of her lips. <em>Maybe we have more in common than I thought</em>. </p><p>"And, for you?" Ashley inquires.</p><p>"Oh," Alexis clears her throat. "I'll have the House Spring Salad." She doesn't tear her eyes away from her device this time, though.</p><p>"Sounds wonderful, ladies, great choices. I'll put that right in for you." Ashley winks at the two women as she walks away. </p><p>As soon as Ashley is out of sight, Ruth turns her full attention to Alexis as she continues to presumably check Instagram. Ruth fake coughs to get her attention and, sure enough, it works like a charm. When Alexis peers up, she's met with a smiling Ruth. "Am I not good enough for you?" She chaffs. </p><p>Alexis can already tell she's going to poke fun at her often, but she's not angry about it as it reminds her of David and she misses him dearly.</p><p>"Sorry, I don't like servers. Like, I know their job is to stand there and take your order, it just feels so <em>awkward </em>to have them towering over you." Alexis stuffs her phone into her purse.</p><p>The corner of Ruth's mouth perks up tentatively. She loves learning more about Alexis and she hopes she can continue her education in the future. </p><p><strong>iii</strong>.</p><p>Alexis is busy setting the table in her kitchen for Ruth. Outside of Twyla and Stevie, this is the first time she's had a visitor and she wants it to be perfect.</p><p>In time with the current NYC winter, she fans out a plastic table cloth patterned with snowflakes. The background is white and flakes themselves vary in shape, size, and shades of blue from slate to indigo and everything in between. Placed in the middle is a light grey bowl filled with homemade chicken salad, the only meal she knows how to make for herself. On either end is disposable heart-shaped plates leftover from Valentine's Day. To avoid doing dishes as much as possible, she exclusively uses paper plates and plastic utensils, but her serving vessels are metal. </p><p>Right as she sets down the platter of cheese, crackers, salami, and grapes purchased from Whole Foods the night prior, there's a knock at her door.</p><p>"Thank you for inviting me over, I'm excited to see your apartment," Ruth says as soon as Alexis opens the door, taking a step inside.</p><p>"You're so nice, I'm happy to have you! Shoes off, though." Alexis points at Ruth's feet as she shuts the door behind her.</p><p>"Of course," She toes off her black ballet flats and sets them next to Alexis's collection of heels in a myriad of heights and widths. "What's on the menu?" Alexis waves a hand for Ruth to follow her into the kitchen. </p><p>"Homemade chicken salad and a charcuterie board that I did not make." Alexis pulls out Ruth's chair and she happily sits down. She takes the seat across from her, scooping herself a large helping of the aforementioned salad. </p><p>Ruth, on the other hand, goes for the grapes. In addition, she reaches for eight pieces of Colby Jack and an equal amount of crackers. "I'm not avoiding your cooking, I promise, I'm just allergic to celery and I noticed there's some in there."</p><p>Alexis flings her chair back and saunters over to the fridge. "Luckily for you, I remember you telling me that, so I made a batch without it." She winks or at least attempts to, as she makes her way back over to the table. </p><p>"You didn't have to do that," Ruth says simply.</p><p>"No, I asked you to come over, so the least I could do it be accommodating for my guests. One time, when Harry Styles and I had a <em>thing</em>, he asked me to spend the weekend on his yacht and he didn't cook a <em>single</em> item. Do you know how embarrassing it was to go out in public with Harry Styles?! Never again." She leans back in her chair. "That man really needs to learn how to stock a fridge."</p><p>Alexis watches as Ruth spoons an even larger scoop than she gave herself. "Yeah, no, I can't say I do." </p><p>"Oh, well, it's <em>really</em> awkward." </p><p>After an uneasy stretch of silence, Ruth holds up the fixed cracker and Alexis does, too, with one of her own, of course. They clink their servings together, biting down at the same time. </p><p>"What do you think?" Alexis asks, a hint of nervousness poking through her otherwise even tone.</p><p>"Pleasantly surprised, as always," Ruth smirks and Alexis bows her head to shelter her growing smile. </p><p><b>iv</b>.</p><p>Ruth is woken up by a ringing of her phone. "Hello?" She groggily bellows into the device.</p><p>"Hey!" Alexis calls on the other end. "Open your door, I have a surprise for you."</p><p>She steals a glance at her clock. "At 6:30 in the morning?" </p><p>"I heard you had a bad night so I thought I'd stop by with some treats." Alexis moves her shoulders up and down on the other line and Ruth swears she can hear the shimmy from her bed. </p><p>"Who told you that?" Her tone is harsher than she intended, but who can she blame, Alexis is right; Ruth <em>did </em>have a bad night although she didn't say anything about it to her. </p><p>"Stevie texted me and said you're having problems closing a motel for them." </p><p>"Of course it was her." Ruth chuckles and rolls her eyes lovingly as her shoulders relax from a tension she didn't know was present. "I'm coming right now." The words are barely off her tongue before Alexis has already hung up. </p>
<hr/><p>When she opens the door, she doesn't expect to see Alexis standing and holding an order of Belgian waffles with bananas, maple syrup, and chocolate chips, but here she is, nonetheless. Ruth takes the container out of Alexis' hands and offers for her to step inside. She accepts the preposition without hassle, taking off her shoes out of habit even though Ruth couldn't care less. "We're sharing." She proclaims as she opens the box and grabs two forks from her silverware drawer. They then sit down on her couch. </p><p>"I'm not gonna argue that." Alexis's lips curl upwards as she is handed a fork. </p><p>"Dig in!" Ruth exclaims with as much enthusiasm as she can muster considering the fact that she was just jolted awake minutes ago. In an unspoken tradition, the two clink their waffle chunks together. </p><p>Once she swallows, Ruth's eyes go wide. "Are these from Wafles &amp; Dignes?" Alexis nods. "That's my favorite!"</p><p>"Really?!" Alexis's utensil-free hand goes limp. "No way, they're my favorite, too!" She lightly punches Ruth's shoulder. Ruth grabs the hit area and pretends to be in immense pain, but Alexis can instantly tell she's joking by the smile twirling across her lips. </p><p>"I've loved them since I was a little kid." Ruth's grin falters. She can tell Alexis wants to press, but is nervous, so she continues on in lieu of her obvious interest. "My mom took me there for my third birthday and every birthday since then. I haven't done it in three years since she passed and my dad isn't exactly known for celebrating births." </p><p>Alexis sighs and reaches a hand across the table to grab Ruth's. Unaware of what to say, she decides she'll simply hold her, and hopefully the intentions behind her grasp are clear. </p><p>Moments later when Ruth sniffles, Alexis knows her aim is intelligible. </p>
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